Dancing in Glee

Whoo-hoo! Tonight Dreamspinner accepted my first contemporary novel, Cupid Knows Best.  Prepare to fall in love with Carl and Marcelino plus Einstein and Spazz, two supporting characters who happen to be hamsters. Do NOT think anything nasty here. I just loved writing about these two crazy hamsters to the point where they became real characters. 

Plus Cupid is pretty cool.

Back to dancing in glee!

More Trauma in the Urban Garden

Sometimes I wonder why I bother trying to nuture an urban garden. I have ranted about the devious groundhog which lives in a huge burrow in my garden and refuses to step into the humane trap I set on a weekly basis. The crazy squirrels dig up my seeds. Feral stray cats leave poop all over the place. There’s a hawk that periodically kills song birds and leaves just the feet and beak for me to find. Stepping on that in bare feet is a real treat.

Tonight I discovered I have another big critter problem.

I need to back up a bit. Recently large items have been knocked over in my snug garden. Garden angels, a metal bird bath, large pots awaiting their flowers and one long planter on an old bench have suffered. I blamed the activity on the crazy squirrels.

Last night I discovered that my five foot tall potted Norfolk pine had been knocked over. Such activity seemed excessive for squirrels.

Today as evening claimed the sky, I went out on my porch and stared in amazement. A few days ago I had replaced the coco liners in two hanging baskets and replaced the dirt but did not re-hang them. This evening the dirt scattered across the porch. The new coco liners had vanished. I searched around the yard. They were gone. Surely no squirrel had performed the mischief, not unless they worked as a team. Hell, if the squirrels in my garden were that bright, I expected them to erect a walnut pyramid.

Mere minutes ago a loud noise prompted me run to the kitchen and turn on the porch light. Wet paw prints led away from the bucket I use to catch rainwater. I emerged onto the porch in time to see a large furry beast with a distinctive striped tail disappear up a rain spout. Loud thudding shook the porch roof. Scrambling sounded then silence.

Yes, now a raccoon invades my garden. A freakin’ raccoon! I wondered who ate all the sage in my herb garden. To date Queen Groundhog has never eaten my herbs.

I am ready to give up and charge admission as a small zoo. Think I can score some grant money?

New Reese Dante Cover for "An Elf for All Centuries"

This cover is amazing! I am so excited. Wheee!